Title: All We Thought We Knew
Author: Michelle Shocklee
Major Themes: Split-Time, Historical Fiction, Family
Synopsis: When Mattie Taylor is called back home to be with her dying mother, she’s unprepared to work through the grief that has haunted her over the past year and the questions surrounding family secrets.
When looking through lists of upcoming books recently, I found myself staring at the cover of All We Thought We Knew, checking out the synopsis, and trying to decide if I should ask to review it or not. Eventually, I decided to go ahead and check it out. I’m glad I did! After I got the book, I realized that Michelle Shocklee isn’t a completely new author to me; I read her book Appalachian Song last year, and was struck by the setting and plot in that story. This ended up being an interesting read, and although it won’t make my top-of-the-year list, I enjoyed parts of the history this book showcased.
Publisher’s description:
She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.
1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.
1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.
In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.
My thoughts:
After thoroughly reading the synopsis, I looked forward to getting into this story. I love split-time stories, plus the American home front during the war is not something I’ve read much about until this last year, so it’s still an interesting subject for me. I was also intrigued by the timeframe of the more recent part of the story—the Vietnam War is also something I know very little about.
All We Thought We Knew ended up being a mixed bag for me. I struggled to get into the story—I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, and for some reason, I didn’t find the plot terribly compelling, either (although in saying that, I loved Gunther’s chapters—I did connect with him as a character pretty quickly). Around halfway through the book, I realized I was feeling a bit more gripped by the story, so the second half was more enjoyable for me than the first. The ending, though, felt somewhat rushed, so that was a bit of a letdown.
I did enjoy the element of one of the characters being a hippy—although I wish that could have been fleshed out more, as it felt like she switched away from that element of her life too quickly, and didn’t seem to go through much of any culture shock/adjustment afterward. It was like she just picked up her old life again without any lingering effects from alcoholism and other things, so that didn’t feel very realistic. I also would have loved to see more of her faith journey; as it was, that element of the story didn’t feel very strong (Christianity/belief in God was mentioned a few times, but never seemed to impact key characters deeply).
The whole part of the story around Ava working at a military base was interesting, though—I had no idea places like that could be so big! Plus, her interactions with Gunther were a lot of fun, and I really felt for Gunther in the different things he had to face because of bias and fear.
If you enjoy historical fiction and don’t mind slower-paced plots, I’d recommend you check out All We Thought We Knew. I enjoyed the slight hint of mystery throughout the story—as Mattie searched for answers to family secrets—and also loved the element of the horse farm. The history was fascinating—I’ve heard of German people who were imprisoned in the US during World War II, but “seeing” it this way really brought that to life. Overall, it’s a good read but not a stand-out book, in my opinion.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.
WARNING: Sworn is used in ch. 1; “heaven knew” is used in ch. 7; “doggone it” is used in ch. 15; and “my goodness” is used in ch. 30. There is lying in ch. 22 and 24.
In chapter 1 and many following chapters in the book, a character thinks about how her brother died after going to fight in the Vietnam War. Chapter 1: Mention of drugs and free love, someone thinks about how she tried to commit suicide, allusions to living with a man she wasn’t married to. Chapter 3: Mention of an overdose and LSD, characters talk about someone who committed suicide, mention of sex and drugs as part of the hippy culture. Chapter 4: Woman remembers finding out her husband was killed. Chapter 5: Someone remembers seeing a person smoking a joint. Chapter 7: Unmarried kiss, pastor praises men for signing up to go to Vietnam (this is mentioned several times). Chapter 13: Remembered drinking, woman slaps a man, a hug. Chapter 15: Man says, “Count yourself lucky your dad didn’t show you the kind of attention mine showed my sister when she turned thirteen.” Holding hands. Chapter 21: Woman speaking: “I know how to give a man just enough to keep him interested without givin’ him the keys to the house, if you know what I mean.” Chapter 24: Dancing (not sensual). Chapter 29: Man is punched hard in the face. Chapter 30: Unmarried characters hold hands. Chapter 31: A hug. Chapter 32: Man badly injured and dies. Chapter 33: Unmarried kisses (no description). Chapter 34: Mention of a woman who dated and wanted to marry a man who was already married. Chapter 35: Unmarried hug. Chapter 37: Woman dies. Epilogue: A kiss.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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